Method of making pavements



W. E. FICKLEN.

METHOD OF MAKING PAVEMENTS. APPLICATION HLED APR. 12. I916. RENEWED NOV. 6, 1920.

1,383,459. Patented July 5, 1921.

lNl/ENTUR W6. il/Ma UNITED STATES WILLIAM E. FIGKLEN,

0F NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

METHOD OF MAKIN G PAVEMENTS.

Original application filed February 12, 1910, Serial No. 543,592. Divided Specification of Letters Patent.

12, 1916, SerialN'o. 90,780. Renewed November 6,-1920. Serial No. 422 363.

To all whom it may concern:

e it known that I, WVILLI M E. F ICKLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Norfolk, county of Norfolk, State of Virginia, have invented provement in the Method of Making Pavements, of which the following is a specification.

This application is derived from In patent referred to below, No. 1,098,? 92, and is a division of application Serial No. 543,592, filed February 12, 1910, and is a continuation of said application.

The present invention relates to a method of constructing sheet concrete road-pave-' ments and the like, of the class in which the pavement is soft when laid and hardens or sets in place; in which it is divided crosssectionally, as laid, into large sections or areas, spaced slightly apart to permit of exwithout buckling or cracking; and in which such individually expansible and movable sections or areas are bound, or protected and armored, at the joints or artificial cracks therein by soft steel, or other tough mate-' rial, a ainst the chipping and grinding action 0 traflic. Certain forms of such armor, by strengthening the pavement at the joints, also preven transverse cracking of the individual sections under heavy loads or excessive changes of temperature, and so permit of thinner pavements than would otherwise be feasible. A pavement of the class referred to 1s shown in U. S. LettersPatent #1,098,792, granted to me under date of June 2, 1914.

The pavement, hereinafter described, in an illustration of the present invention, is a pavement in which the cement is a hydraulic cement, and,in which specified concrete mixtures are present; for, although the invention is not restricted in its use to hydraulic cement pavements, et the latter, perhaps more than pavements of other composition, present problems which are best solved by the sectional construction above described.

efe'rence is made to my above mentioned patent for a fuller understanding of these problems, "and of the advantages .of constructing sheet pavements and the like in armored sections separated by expansion joints.

I a new and useful Ima un1t Wlth the latter in the expansion The relation of its armor or fillet, to each pavement monolith may be defined as floating.

ac section of pavement is therefore an independent filleted monolith monolith during the setting and of the concrete has a tendency to shrink upon itself toward its own center. In laying the pavement, therefore, the armor should not supported upon any bed, or be in permanent fixed relation to any other element with respect to which the reinforced, protected, and stiffened section, in shrinking while setting, or after it has set and hardened, has relative movement; because such relative movement would tend. to tear or loosen the protector from the concrete. Furthermore, if the cost of the pavement is not to be excessive, the rotector should be small, light, andthin, and should not be supported on a bed, or otherwise, in such manner as to require a deep extension 'of the protecting armor through the pavement within the joints. j

An object of thepresent invention is to construct, by a simple, reliable, and economical method, a pavement consisting of rated large sections of any desired shape, bound by, and having in effect lntegral therewith and firmly fixed thereto, at the upper edges thereof, soft steel or other tough material. It 1s an object of the invention, so edge protector, contractile llet or armor, to the concrete, while the latter is soft, and so to support the armor in the concrete, that the latter in setting will not draw awayffrom thearmor; and that, after the concrete has set, the armor will not engage any element with respect to which the concrete may have movement. It 1s a further object of the invention, so to cast or mold the concrete about the. armor, that the concrete when set will provide certain abutinents and shoulders for supporting,

Patented July 5, 1921.

effectively be borne by the concrete,

, expensive,

t p y porting the same pavement that the expansion joints may be made of any' desired depth without reference to the size of the protecting strips, in that in the present invention the protecting strips need not be relied upon to keep the concrete'out of the spaces allotted to the joints.

The above and other features of the invention will more fully appear on. reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

, Figure 1 i a perspective view of a section of road pavement constructed 1n accordance with the present invention.

Fig.2 is an enlarged view in cross section through one of the joints of the pavement,

a form of templet being shown in place between the binding irons of two opposed sections of the pavement.

If a bed' for the pavement, other than the earth, is desired, such a bed or sub-grade may-conveniently consist of a layer, 1, of suitable thickness, of crushed stone, gravel or cinders evenly spread, and rolled to desired compactness. The pavement itself may be laid in one or more sheets composing a monolithic structure... In the drawings two sheets or layers, 2 and 3 respectiyely, are shown. The lower of these, structure shown is preferably offrom 4% to ,5 inches in thickness and is preferably of a concrete composed, first of a mixture by bulk of 40% of stone orgravel substantially 1% inches in size, inch in size, and 3.5% of clear Northport white grit or clean'coarse sand or screenings of granite. Mixed with seven parts by bulk of this mixture is one part by bulk of plastic cement. In hot weather the water which is 'added to form the mix is in sufiicient quantity to make what is called a wet mix; in cool weather the mixture is ordinarily of the dampness of brown sugar.

Preferably before any of this mixture is laid, and, according to the desired depth of the expansion joints, before the mixture is laid to its full depth, the roadway or other space to be paved is subdivided by forms or templets, 4, set at intervals or distances apart, and inpositions which accord to the s ze and positions of the separately expansible-areasor sections into. which the pave ment to be divided. These distances are shown in the drawings heet 2, in the 25% .of stone or gravel &'

spect, self-supporting,

ordinarily as large as fifteen feet and over. Where the road is to be crowned, the templet is preferably though not necessarily shaped or demark d to the crow'n'of the road, being I ashaving its upper edge flush with the road surface. The temlets being setand secured in place, the lay- 111g of the mixture, 2, within the areas prescribed by the templets is proceeded with, and that mixture may be tamped and its surface shaped "to the curve of the crown of theroad' Where, as is sometimes the case, a top or finishing surface haying special wearing or waterproof qualities is desired, the mixture, 2, is not laid to the full height of the templets, but "stops at a level 5, say from 1% to 2 inches below what is to be the level ofthe road surface. Preferably, before the sheet 2 sets and completely hardens, the mixture 33, forming the topfsurfac'e, is laid within the areas bounded by' the templets so that the two sheets by consolidating may form a single monolithic block within each form.

A suitable mixture for the sheet orv layer 3 may consist of substantially 3'parts by bulk of plastic cement, 1% parts ofcru'shed granite, from %to inch in size, 1 part of clean white 'Northport grit or inch in size, a part of iron'ore tailings, and a part of fine crush d slag. This mixture 3 is spread upon the sheet 2, and its top surface is troweled, floated and finished or broomedto the crown of the road.

Theotemplets, 4, not-merely determine the areas, of the road sections and the width of the expansion joints, but in the present invention control the positioning of the binding strips or irons, 6, and may among other important functions determine joint depth. When the templet is not to form a permanent part of the structure, it inay conveniently be of wood of a thickness of of an inch, having a facing 4 of thin steel sheeting, so as to have a total thickness of inch, which under ordinary conditions is a proper width for the expansion joints.

The binding strips or reinforcements may take a variety of forms. In the drawings they are shown as angle irons, the upper sur-- face of one wing of which abuts the templet at the side face of the block at the expansion joint. .The templets 4 form continuous supports for the abutting strips 6, .so that the latter may be thin and flexible and yet not be bent into the spaces allowed for the joints, under the weight or pressure of unset concrete within the forms, or for other causes. This is of importance, because, to make the bar thick enough to be rigid, and, in this readdsto the expense of the pavement. True alinement and true angular setting of the strips is effected by means of the templets; and theiipper edge of the templets may as stated serve to demark the proper level of the upper face or edge of the strip, so that the latter shall be flush with the road surface. The smooth steel facing if I use such a facing of'the templets assures a snug fit of the binding strips against the same; The. strips 6 are positioned on the templets preferably before that part of the concrete in which the strips are to be anchored, is flooded or laid in the and in any event before that part of the concrete has lost its soft and fluid charinto position against the soft concrete flows through these, thereby interweaving the strips with the concrete, and providing non-slip'surfaces 1n the win he concrete presents itself at these The interweaving of the concrete strips is an important the anchoring of the strips in the concrete.

s shown in my Patent #1,098.7192, above referred to, the vertical. members of the strips may also be perforated for interweavement and double interlockment with In event of such perforation bers, the continuity of the templets into the space allowed for the so hardening as to deprive the pavement of its expansibility. Below the armor, the templets also prevent flowin of the concrete into the spaces allotted to the joints.

i The armor being in place between any two opposed sections, and the concrete having been laid, the latter is allowed to set, or automatically to harden in place. Before t e concrete has completely hardened how ever, any attachment of templets, if the latter are rigid, should be removed, as the concrete will in setting, and as the armor, which is not necessarily continuous, the concrete as ping, and withdrawn.

It will be noted that in ment in the manner described, the concrete binding strips. These shoulders, furthermore, receive and distribute stresses that might otherwise have to be met b templets, and will have body enough try-support the strips h t e armor or con- 1 proper level part which is not integral and monolithic with the surfacing material. Because of the shoulder 8, a crete section relative to its base is therefore not liable to displace the armor, nor will expansion of the monolith relative to its base cause the binder to be displaced or jarred loose, Of importance also from an ecostandpoint is the I claim:

1. The method of "making pavements or the like of settable, shrinkable material which consists in or foundation, forming expansion joints by supporting in position templets running lengthwise of said joints and by supporting against the up er faces cf said templets anchored strips or armoring the upper edge of the joint, the shrinkable material below 'd strips being exposed whereby the temp ets mold the material below said strips, and as the shrinkable material begins to set permitting said 'metal strips to shrink away from said templets.

the like of settable, shrinkable material which consists in preparing a suitable bed or foundation, forming expansion joints by lets running lengthwise of said joints, supporting against t e upper opposite faces of said templets anchored strips for armoring the edges of said shrinkable material, the shrinkable maand surface, rial begins to set metal strips plets; v

3. The method of making pavements or the like composed of settable, shrinkable material which consists in forming expanand, as the mateor stiifen, permitting said to shrink away from said temthe opposite sides of said templets anchored strips for armoring the edges of sand shrinkable material, the shrinkable masaid templets,

on setting, it is free to carry with it the arlengthwise of said joints and by supporting moring metal edge in said shrinking action. against the upper faces of said templets an- 4. The method of making pavements or chored strips for armorin the upper edge the like of settable, shrinkable material of the joint, the shrinkab e material below 5 which consists in preparlng a suitable bed or said strips being exposed whereby the temfoundation, forming expansion joints by plets mold the material below said strips, and supporting in position templets running as said shrinkable material begins to set perlengthwise of said joints and actingto mold mitting the metal strips to shrink away from the material, supporting against opposite the templets as said material sets or stifiens,

sides of said templets metal strips, provided and removing the templets leaving the exwith holes, for armoring the edges of the pansion joints armored at their upper edges shrinkable material, permitting the shrinkby the aforesaid metal strips.

able material'toenter the holes in said metal 6. The method of making pavements or strips to provide a better gripping surface, the .like of settable, shrinkable material and, as the said shrinkable material begins which consists in preparing a suitable bed or to set or stifien permitting said metal strips foundation, supporting in position templets to shrink away i'rom said templets in setfor the purpose of providin expansion ting, whereby each section of the pavement joints, supporting against the iaces of said may set and its edges carrying metallic artemplets anchored strips for armoring the moring may shrink away from said templets. edge or face of the joint, and, as said mate- 5. The method of making pavements or rial begins to set or stifien, permitting said the like of settable, shrinkable material metal strips to shrink away from said temwhich consists in preparing a suitable bed 'plets. or foundation, forming expansion joints by o supporting in position templets running WILLIAM E. FIOKLEN. 

